


walking on the sun (might as well)

by jacksgreyson



Category: Dreaming of Sunshine - Silver Queen, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crack Treated Seriously, Crossover, Dimension Travel, F/M, Future Fic, Gen, Gods & Temples & Religions, POV Outsider, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:29:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28973613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacksgreyson/pseuds/jacksgreyson
Summary: Prayers are not spells, they are not magic, but willpower has its place in the universe.
Relationships: ANBU Red Team, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Lily Evans Potter & Nara Shikako, Lily Evans Potter & Nara Shikako & Uchiha Sasuke, Nara Shikako & Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 62
Kudos: 436
Collections: Dreaming of Sunshine Exchange 2020 C (Winter Round!), Heliocentrism — a Dreaming of Sunshine recursive collection





	walking on the sun (might as well)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MageKing17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MageKing17/gifts).
  * Inspired by [We Were All-Stars](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20285908) by [MageKing17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MageKing17/pseuds/MageKing17). 



> Special thanks to drowsyivy for being a patient and keen-eyed beta!

_**the bond is broke up (choke up and focus)** _

"God doesn't care about witches," Petunia says, a harsh and barbed thing meant to stab Lily in the heart quietly and quickly, before following their parents into Christmas service.

Lily is stunned by it, left bleeding and cold and ignored by the people she grew up around, sidestepping her on their way to the warmth of the church, the sound of hymns beckoning them inside. They may send her gruff and weary smiles, Christmas greetings by rote, but they do nothing to help her.

They don't know that anything is wrong.

It's not fair. Nothing should be wrong, is the thing. Lily is home for the winter holiday from her mysterious, fancy boarding school. She's home to spend time with her family, to give herself a second to breathe, an escape from the fast-paced, high-risk world of magic.

And Lily knows Tuney just says these things because she's jealous. Because the world of magic rejected her and so, in turn, she rejects everything magical out of spite, including her own sister.

It's not fair. There is a wall between them, but it's not because of magic, it's built out of envy and pettiness and unyielding pride.

... and maybe some of that is on Lily; Petunia may have provided the bricks, mixed the mortar, trowels gripped in both hands, but Lily helped her lay them down. She reveled in being on the magical side of the construction, saw the stack growing ever higher, and thought to herself, relieved, at least she was on the better side.

But it's still not fair, because Lily apparently isn't enough for the world of magic. Blood dirty, too new, blundering her way through because those who have been born to it don't struggle the way she does, the way she has to in order to not only keep up but survive. The magical world doesn't accept her, not really; no matter how much she learns or how well she does, she will never belong.

Not enough for either side. Not witch enough, not muggle enough.

She just wanted to go home for Christmas and belong.

But God doesn't care about witches, just like magic doesn't care about muggle girls.

Lily stands outside the church, the doors closed, warmth and light and sound sealed inside. Lily stands outside in the town she grew up in, knowing that she can never truly go home because there is no home for her to return to. Lily stands outside in the cold and dark and silence, alone.

She prays.

The first time Lily prays, she has no name in mind. No particular recipient she thinks of. It is not a prayer made with hope or belief or faith. It is a prayer of desperation and determination, a prayer from a girl torn between worlds, brilliant and brave, even knowing that there is war on the horizon.

Prayers are not spells, they are not magic, but willpower has its place in the universe.

She prays, not expecting anything or anyone to care, but nevertheless someone listens.

* * *

"Oh," Shikako utters, calligraphy brush stilling its motion midair. Sasuke, already on edge, what with being dragooned into this session of experimental sealing, quickly slides the paper out of the way before any ink can drip onto it.

"What is it?"

"I haven't heard that in a while," Shikako continues, a particularly unhelpful answer.

"Is someone praying to Shikabane-hime again? Because I thought you figured out how to have that transcribed for Intel so it wouldn't bug you all the time." And a secondary array for ANBU for those praying to Bat. Truly, being on a team with Shikako has warped his understanding of impossible.

"Someone is praying to me, but I don't think they know it," she says, as if that weren't a completely nonsensical statement.

Sasuke glances at her, unimpressed. "How does someone not know they're praying?"

"No, they don't know who they're praying to," Shikako clarifies, but her tone has gone soft and careful the way it does whenever she talks to Kinokawa or other kids.

"What are they praying for?"

"Nothing," she says, almost sad. "They're not asking for anything. They're just praying." She finally puts the brush down, the mood taken from her.

Sasuke prompts, "So what are you going to do?"

* * *

The first time Lily prays with no name in mind—no request, no faith, just desperation and determination—she is not expecting anything.

She gets a response anyway.

> _{Lily Evans, you are not alone.}_

* * *

* * *

* * *

_**some were spellbound (hellbound, fell down)** _

****The second time Lily prays to the nameless being that may or may not be a god, she gets a little more than a response.

This time, the desperation and determination has less to do with being a lonely girl standing outside a church on Christmas Eve and more to do with the fact that there are Death Eaters in Diagon Alley and Lily is responsible for keeping five muggleborn first years and their parents alive and, ideally, unharmed.

James is out there, she knows, the Head Boy to her Head Girl, but he has a group of muggleborn firsties himself and they specifically split up so as not to overwhelm anyone. Logical at the time, yes, but logic has no place in a magical world at war.

She looks at her charges, the fear in their eyes, and takes a moment to breathe. She readies her wand.

Then a voice echoes in her mind.

> _{Lily Evans, are you about to do something potentially suicidal without backup?}_

There's no other way.

> _{Lily Evans, there is always another way.}_

* * *

"Ah," Bat says mildly, causing the rest of Red Team to freeze in attention.

Komachi and Towa turn to each other, masked faces somehow emanating commiseration. Hawk-taicho, on the other hand, outright sighs and facepalms.

"We already completed the mission, Bat. If anything, we're ahead of schedule. What could it possibly be?"

Bat tilts her head, one hand on her hip—as powerful an expression of sass as masks and identical uniforms can convey. "Well," she starts, gravelly voice at odds with her words, "I'd like to take a minor detour for a small, quick errand."

Hawk-taicho just sighs again.

* * *

They arrive in silence and shadow. 

For a second, Lily thinks they are a threat—masks and dark clothes—but the four beings that appear are nothing like the Death Eaters. Their armor is bone white and close-fitted, their masks brightly painted as abstract animals. They do not carry wands, but they have swords on their backs and violence in their forms. One of them speaks to the others, their voice a rough, almost choked out thing, in words Lily cannot understand. They move out, coordinated, efficient.

> _{Lily Evans, do not be afraid.}_

Death Eaters rely on fear and dramatics. These beings are soldiers accustomed to war.

What was it about angels? They had animal faces and blades made of fire. God's soldiers to battle demons.

Or... no. This isn't the God that doesn't care about witches. This is the god that listens to her prayers, even when she doesn't ask for anything.

> _{Lily Evans, you are not alone.}_

* * *

"A minor detour, she says," Hawk-taicho complains, avoiding a glowing beam of light.

"A quick errand, she says," Towa adds, tossing an array of kunai that pins their enemies' voluminous robes to the ground and walls. Even kage don't actually fight in their ceremonial robes and these enemies move so slowly already, but may as well hamper their movement further.

"A small, quick errand, she says," Komachi corrects, drawing in close and disarming one of the hostiles. Without their weapons, they don't seem capable of much. Her comrades follow suit.

"I can hear you," Bat protests, knocking out each of the hostiles with a single touch.

Komachi and Towa have a bet about whether or not Bat is actually a Hyuuga. Given they were already a masks-on squad, it would make sense to put a clan kid on the team.

"Yeah, that's the problem," Hawk-taicho says, a reply which doesn't quite make sense to Komachi and Towa but which is somehow perfectly understandable to Bat.

Bat gargles rocks—or something else that sounds like that—in response.

"Let's just go home already before we get in trouble," Hawk-taicho says instead of entertaining her.

"What should we do with these?" Towa asks, holding up the confiscated weapons: strange wooden sticks, each unique but harmless-seeming on their own. Maybe some kind of focus for jutsu instead of using hand signs?

Bat hums curiously. "Let me check real quick."

* * *

It's become eerily silent in Diagon Alley. Lily thinks this is the most quiet it's ever been: no more battle, but also no sounds of wreckage or injured people. Lily takes a peek: the four soldiers stand unharmed in front of their fallen foes.

> _{Lily Evans, do your people follow the right of conquest? I want the sticks.}_

Not the most elegant way to refer to the Death Eaters' wands, but not inaccurate, she supposes. And to a god who can summon warriors capable of defeating said Death Eaters in less than a minute, stick is probably a decent enough description.

The wizarding world is archaic enough that right of conquest might be how things work, but Lily is also fairly certain that the people behind those Death Eater masks won't be able to protest the loss of their wands without admitting to being a Death Eater. Not that most of them won't be able to walk away without punishment, if they are who she thinks they are.

> _{Lily Evans, would you like them dead?}_

The voice, if it has a tone, is casual, nonjudgmental. As if it would be easy to make it so. As if it wouldn't matter either way.

Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn't. But that's not Lily's call to make.

> _{Lily Evans, you are brave and kind. Be careful.}_

One of the soldiers turns her way and nods before they all vanish in shadow and silence, just as they appeared.

* * *

Neither Komachi or Towa actually think Bat is a Hyuuga, but they're a masks-on squad and plausible deniability is plausible deniability.

* * *

* * *

* * *

**  
_allow if you’re still alive (years to arrive)_ **

Magical weddings are not so different from muggle weddings, apparently, even magical weddings held in the middle of a war. The planning was rushed, their guests few and hyperalert, but still. It was a day of love and union and promises.

She is in the middle of kissing James when she hears it:

> _{Lily... Potter? Your name has changed? You made a vow, what are—oh! Sorry... you are. Busy. Right now. I am so sorry! I am going to let you—sorry again!}_

It's awkward and intruding, but not ill meant—and, honestly, a little funny—so she laughs into the kiss, interrupting the rhythm. That's fine, James had been smiling so widely it was mostly teeth to begin with.

"I love you," James says when they finally part, before the Marauders essentially dog-pile on him in celebration. Wisely, Lily lets go of his hand before she gets pulled in.

She glances around at the other wedding guests: no Petunia—not that Lily really thought she'd show up, but some part of her still hoped.

> _{Oh, but also... congratulations, Lily Potter. May this bring you happiness.}_

Lily smiles to herself, brief disappointment easily brushed away. Maybe it's not the same as having her family with her, but surely well wishes from a god more than make up for it.

* * *

"Should I get her a gift?" Sensei asks, completely out of the blue. Although, considering Sensei hates doing paperwork, perhaps not too out of the blue.

Jinichi looks up from his own report to see that Sasuke-san—who Jinichi is pretty sure spends all of his time bullying his former teammates into doing their paperwork—is already giving her that look. The one that says he's bracing himself for something weird and doing so begrudgingly.

Sasuke-san gives Sensei that look a lot.

Yuu and Sono, who have already abandoned their reports, watch eagerly.

"Are you talking about..." Sasuke-san glances at the three of them. They steadily stare back.

"Don't worry, they already know," Sensei says dismissively, waving his concern away.

It does not work. Sasuke-san asks, "They know you're a god?"

Sensei rolls her eyes. "I'm not a god," she says before turning to each of them. "I'm not a god," she repeats in a sterner tone. Jinichi nods, knowing that will make her feel better.

Sasuke-san rolls his eyes right back. "Sorry," he says, sounding not sorry at all. "Were you talking about the person whose prayers you hear because that's a normal thing that happens to everyone?"

Sensei narrows her eyes at him and doesn't respond.

He sighs. "Fine. What were you saying about a gift?"

"She got married, so I was wondering if I should get her a gift. You know, to be polite," she explains.

"What kind of gift would you even get her?" Sasuke-san asks.

"I don't think it'd be called a gift from you," Yuu says, drawing their attention to him.

"What do you mean?" Sensei asks, more confused than curious.

"Wouldn't it be called a blessing?" Sono answers for him. "Or a miracle?"

Sensei blinks at her, betrayed.

Sasuke-san laughs.

* * *

Amongst the wedding gifts is a figurine made of goldstone, intricately carved in the shape of a deer with flowers sprouting from its antlers. Lilies, to be exact.

It's not magic.

(But it's also not quite normal either.)

It's perfect.

They put it on the mantelpiece in Godric's Hollow.

* * *

* * *

* * *

**  
_if you follow (there may be a tomorrow)_ **

It's not technically Harry's first Halloween, but it's the first one that he can have sweets. Lily and James try to make the best of the situation, confined to the house as they are, and if their son remembers anything of this time in his life, well, hopefully he'll remember these good times: the three of them playing together, warmth and safety and love, instead of the tightly wound paranoia caused by a dark lord hunting them down.

The thing about the Fidelius Charm is that when it goes wrong, the magic itself doesn't fail. It's the Secret Keepers that fail. The people behind it.

But Lily already knew that magic doesn't care about people.

When Voldemort arrives at Godric’s Hollow, he walks right through the Fidelius as if nothing were even there. But he pauses at the secondary ward that Lily put up despite Dumbledore's assurances.

It's not strong enough to completely hold off the wizard who has terrorised all of magical Britain for decades, but it's enough for Lily to meet James's eyes. Enough for them to grab their wands, scoop up Harry, find a more defensible position because they're not connected to the Floo and anti-Apparition wards cut both ways.

Harry isn't crying, thankfully, but maybe he senses their fear. He whimpers, fussy, and Lily holds him close, hushes soothing nonsense, even if that means she's short an arm for this fight.

Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry.

Prophecy has made her son a target for Voldemort. Magic, uncaring, has put her family in danger.

Her secondary ward falls, blasts of magic and Voldemort's cruel high laugh heralding his arrival.

Not Harry, please, have mercy... have mercy...

* * *

The change from Shikako to Shikabane-hime is quiet, quick and utterly thorough. Sasuke steps away from anything flammable and pulls out the Hatake chakra sabre, preparing himself for a fight.

But there is enough overlap between Shikako and Shikabane-hime that when she holds out a hand and asks, "Want to help me kill a creepy old snake man obsessed with immortality?" Sasuke takes it before she finishes the question.

She didn't even have to ask.

* * *

The beings that arrive in silence and shadow are not the warriors with abstract animal masks that Lily remembers from before.

There is the woman, flowing and dark, who stands steadfastly in front of Lily and her family, still and immovable. Protective.

There is the man—or, at least, what Lily thinks is a man, so shrouded is he in roaring fire and screeching lightning, a glowing sword in hand—who launches himself at Voldemort.

Lily pulls Harry even closer, can only think wordless gratitude in the direction of her saviour.

> _{Lily Potter, do not be afraid. You are not alone.}_

**Author's Note:**

> Runners up for the title/section subtitles include “can’t perform no godlike hocus pocus” and “you need to be there when your baby’s old enough to relate,” though those were maybe a little too on the nose.
> 
> Title/subtitles from the Smash Mouth song “Walkin’ on the Sun” because, well, considering this concept is inspired by  MageKing17’s “We Were All-Stars” it only makes sense. I declare it. But also, you know, Dreaming of Sunshine and all that.


End file.
